Planet Fitness is one of the most interesting gyms I’ve visited for a multitude of reasons. Its low membership costs are appealing, but its policies tend to turn people away. Its lack of basic pieces of equipment like barbells also makes me question how it can be called a gym.
On the other hand, Blink Fitness proves you can offer a good gym experience for an affordable price while appealing to people with all types of training goals.
So, is Planet Fitness or Blink Fitness a better gym? Blink is better than Planet Fitness because its environment is more welcoming, it has a larger amount of strength equipment, and you can lift heavy. Planet Fitness has a limited free weights area, and it’s not ideal for people who enjoy strength training or anyone with more than a few months of training experience.
While it may not be the biggest decision you’ll ever make in your life, picking the right gym is still an important one. In addition to cost and location, things like amenities, class offerings, equipment, and atmosphere can all make or break a gym.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of Planet Fitness and Blink, and you’ll be able to determine which gym will get you the best results.
Table of Contents
Planet Fitness Overview
Planet Fitness claims it’s a judgment-free zone, but that’s a bit of false advertising. It discourages a variety of training styles, and it’s not a place where bodybuilders, powerlifters, CrossFitters, or anyone who just wants to get strong are welcomed. And if you make one tiny mistake, you’ll likely get called out for it.
Somehow, despite its false claims, Planet Fitness is the largest gym franchise in the US in terms of number of locations and number of members. I’m not a fan of the chain, but its mission to provide a safe space for people to work out is one I can get behind even though the way they go about it is questionable.
If you’ve never worked out before, Planet Fitness is a decent place to learn your way around a gym and figure out how to use all of the different machines. But once you have a few months of training experience under your belt, you’re better off moving on to another gym where you can make more progress.
Pros
- Budget-friendly membership plans
- Not a lot of hidden fees
- Free Wi-Fi
- Discounts at Reebok.com for Black Card members
- Black Card members can visit any location in the world
Cons
- No dumbbells heavier than 50lbs (75lbs at a handful of locations)
- No squat racks, barbells, or plates
Check out my full review of Planet Fitness here.
Blink Fitness Overview
Blink Fitness is owned by Equinox, the upscale, lavish gym that costs a couple of hundred dollars per month. But unlike its parent company, Blink has affordable memberships and doesn’t cater to the wealthy.
Blink Fitness doesn’t offer a ton of amenities so it can keep its prices low, but it does provide a fun, motivating workout experience for its members. Blink Fitness gyms are brightly lit with bold pops of color on the walls, which creates an energizing atmosphere that makes you excited to work out.
Some Blink locations have issues with cleanliness, but the majority of them are well-maintained. They tend to get crowded, especially in the evenings, but you can check your club’s capacity meter online before you go to see how busy it is.
Pros
- Modern, well-maintained facilities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Affordable memberships
- Positive, motivating environment
- Friendly staff members
- Virtual personal training options for people who can’t make it to the gym regularly
Cons
- Not a lot of amenities
- No in-person group classes
- Cleanliness is an issue at some locations
Check out my full review of Blink Fitness here.
Planet Fitness vs Blink Fitness: 10 Differences
Planet Fitness is inferior to most other gyms, but surprisingly, it’s not that far behind Blink in many areas. Blink Fitness is a still a better gym overall, but even though I’m pretty critical of Planet Fitness, it has its place in the fitness world.
1. Cost
You may be tempted to pick a gym based solely on its monthly fees, but most gyms also have annual fees, enrollment fees, and additional fees for your keyfob or access card.
It’s important to consider all of this when looking at a gym’s costs. Sometimes, the gym that charges less per month can actually end up being more expensive once you factor in all of the additional fees.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has a Classic membership and a Black Card membership. The Classic membership is $9.99/month plus taxes while the Black Card membership is $22.99/month plus taxes.
Each plan has an enrollment fee, but the fee is as low as $1 depending on when you sign up. The Black Card membership also has a $39 annual fee.
Anyone who hasn’t been a Planet Fitness member in the past can get a free trial pass online.
Blink Fitness
Blink Fitness has three memberships:
- Gray, which costs $15/month plus taxes
- Blue, which costs $23/month plus taxes
- Green, which costs $27/month plus taxes
All plans have an annual club enhancement fee of $54.99 plus initiation fees that range from $49 to $99. But depending on when you sign up, you may only have to pay $1 for the initiation fee.
You can sign up for a free trial pass on Blink Fitness’s website if you want to check it out before you join.
The Winner
Planet Fitness has a cheaper price and no annual fee for its basic membership. However, it’s worth noting that Blink Fitness’s middle-tier membership costs the same per month, so Planet Fitness comes out only a tiny bit ahead of Blink.
2. Contract Length
There are positives and negatives to month-to-month contracts and annual contracts. Some gyms only offer one type of contract, so you don’t really have a choice in how long you’ll have to commit to it. If your gym has both, you’ll have to think about whether you prefer the flexibility of a month-to-month plan or if you’re okay with a long-term commitment.
Planet Fitness
The Classic plan is month-to-month. The Black Card membership requires an annual commitment.
Blink Fitness
Blink Fitness’s Gray plan is month-to-month, but the Blue and Green plans require annual commitments.
The Winner
It’s a tie since both gyms have month-to-month and annual contracts.
3. Equipment
If a gym doesn’t have good equipment, it’s probably not worth going to. If you have a chance to visit a gym before you join, you should look at the kind of equipment it has to make sure you’ll be able to train effectively.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness is known for having more cardio equipment than strength equipment. It has resistance machines and a limited amount of free weights, but if you like to lift heavy, you’re out of luck. There are no barbells or plates, and the dumbbells only go up to 50lbs at most locations. There are also no squat racks or deadlift platforms.
Blink Fitness
Blink Fitness has close to 100 cardio machines, including treadmills, rowers, bikes, and ellipticals. But unlike Planet Fitness, it has barbells, hex and bumper plates, dumbbells that go up to 90lbs, and squat racks. Blink doesn’t have deadlift platforms, though.
Blink Fitness also has a functional training area with battle ropes, medicine balls, resistance bands, and even more dumbbells.
The Winner
When it comes to equipment, Blink Fitness is better than Planet Fitness since it has heavier dumbbells, barbells, squat racks, and functional training equipment.
4. Atmosphere
One thing that many people don’t think about when deciding between two gyms is the atmosphere. If people are rude and judgmental, you’ll dread going and you won’t be able to concentrate on your workout.
In addition to making sure the staff is friendly and polite, you should also watch the other members to see how they train and interact with each other. If they’re friendly and courteous to one another, it’s a strong indication that the gym has a good atmosphere.
Planet Fitness
Despite its claims that it doesn’t judge anyone, Planet Fitness actually criticizes a large portion of the fitness population. Powerlifters, bodybuilders, CrossFitters, and even casual gym-goers who can lift a lot of weight aren’t welcome there.
Planet Fitness also has the infamous lunk alarm. At some locations, the staff will never ring it, but at others, it seems like the staff rings it several times a day. Wearing clothing that shows just a bit too much skin, carrying a large water bottle, or making too much noise while you work out are all grounds for the lunk alarm being set off.
Blink Fitness
Blink Fitness has a fun, energizing environment. When I visited one near me, the staff members were some of the friendliest employees I’ve encountered at a chain gym.
At Blink, you’ll also find members of all age groups and experience levels. Blink supports a variety of training preferences, so you’ll fit in whether you enjoy cardio, strength training, or functional fitness.
The Winner
Blink’s positive, motivating atmosphere is a stark contrast to Planet Fitness’s judgmental one. It’s the better choice if you’re looking for a gym where you’ll feel welcomed and be surrounded by others who support your goals.
5. Gym Policies
Although gym rules are intended to keep members safe, some gyms tend to take their rules too far. Before you sign a contract, you should read it carefully and make sure you understand all of the gym’s policies so you don’t get in trouble with the staff.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness doesn’t allow chalk, dropping weights, or grunting. Certain movements like the overhead press are banned. Planet Fitness also doesn’t allow revealing clothing, which means no short shorts or shirts that expose your midsection.
However, Planet Fitness does have a pretty lenient guest policy. If you’re a Black Card member, you can bring guests as often as you want.
Some gyms let you transfer your membership to avoid having to go through the cancellation process, but Planet Fitness doesn’t. If you want to cancel, you’ll have to provide 30 days’ notice and fill out a form at the front desk or send a letter via certified mail.
You can cancel at any time, but if you’re a Black Card member and you cancel before your contract is up, you’ll have to pay a $58 cancellation fee.
Blink Fitness
Most Blink Fitness locations don’t allow powdered chalk, but they’ll let you use liquid chalk. You can also drop weights if you need to bail a lift, but they don’t encourage dropping weights after every single rep.
Any kind of workout apparel is allowed. Women can just wear sports bras, but men need to wear shirts at all times. You can lift without shoes as long as you keep socks on.
Members with Green or Blue plans are allowed to bring an unlimited number of guests for free. However, transferring memberships to another person is not allowed.
Blink requires 45 to 60 days’ notice to cancel your membership. If you have a Gray plan, you can cancel at any time. But depending on when during the month you cancel and how long your notice period is, you may have to pay a prorated amount of your monthly membership before the cancellation goes into effect.
If you have a Blue or Green membership and want to cancel before your one-year contract expires, you’ll have to pay a $50 to $60 cancellation fee depending on which state you live in.
The Winner
Even though Blink Fitness has a longer notice period for cancellation requests, it has more lenient policies about chalk, dropping weights, and lifting barefoot than Planet Fitness. There are also no restrictions on what kind of movements you can do at Blink.
6. Group Classes
It’s rare to find a gym that doesn’t have group classes, but there are some gyms that don’t have any at all or only have a limited amount of them. If group fitness is your primary reason for joining a gym, you should make sure the one you choose has the classes you’re interested in and that they’re offered at times that work with your schedule.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has small group training sessions called PE@PF instead of group classes. There are three kinds of PE@PF classes: one for beginners, a 30-minute express circuit class, and classes that focus on training specific muscle groups.
Blink Fitness
Blink Fitness doesn’t have in-person classes, but it has virtual classes on its mobile app. The classes are only available for members with Blue or Green memberships.
The Winner
Even though neither gym has in-person group classes, Blink Fitness is a slightly better option for classes since you can take virtual ones if you have a Blue or Green membership.
7. Amenities
Amenities like pools, tanning booths, and saunas are becoming more common in gyms, but there are still a lot of gyms that don’t have them. If there’s a particular amenity you’re interested in, you should make sure the gym you want to join has it.
You should also check the membership plans to find out which amenities are included since some gyms charge extra for certain ones.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness doesn’t have pools, basketball courts, saunas, or childcare. However, smoothie bars, tanning booths, red light therapy booths, and massage chairs are available for Black Card members.
All members are allowed to use the showers and locker rooms, but Planet Fitness doesn’t provide toiletries or towels. You’re also not allowed to leave anything in the lockers overnight.
Blink Fitness
The amenities at Blink Fitness are extremely limited. It has showers and lockers, but that’s about it. There are no smoothie bars, saunas, tanning booths, childcare services, basketball courts, pools, massage chairs, or red light therapy booths.
The Winner
Planet Fitness doesn’t have a ton of amenities, but it has more than Blink. Therefore, Planet Fitness is the better choice if you want to tan, get a massage, have a protein shake, or get a red light therapy treatment at the gym.
8. Personal Training
Personal trainers can be valuable resources when you’re looking to switch up your routine or you need someone to hold you accountable. But it’s important to check the qualifications of the trainers at your gym and get a feel for their training styles to make sure they can help you reach your goals.
You’ll also need to consider how much personal training sessions cost since they’re usually not included with your gym membership.
Planet Fitness
Even though Planet Fitness has certified personal trainers, they won’t be there to guide you through every part of your workout. They’re available for free fitness consultations and they run the PE@PF classes, but they won’t give you a lot of one-on-one attention.
Blink Fitness
The quality of the trainers at Blink varies significantly. All of Blink’s trainers are certified, but many of them are new to the industry and don’t have a lot of experience. Many personal training clients have also complained that their trainers aren’t very attentive and don’t take the time to show them proper form.
Individual personal training sessions start at $42/session, but you can get them for around $30/session if you buy packages of 4, 8, or 12 months. You also get a free 30-minute session when you become a member.
Blink Fitness also offers virtual personal training for $25/session, which is a good option if you have a home gym setup or can’t make it to the gym consistently.
The Winner
Blink Fitness doesn’t necessarily have the best personal trainers in the world, but you’ll still get more out of them than the trainers at Planet Fitness. Just be sure to ask your potential trainer a lot of questions before you sign a personal training contract to ensure he or she is qualified and is a good fit for you.
9. Locations
Joining a gym with convenient locations will make it easier for you to get there multiple times a week. If you’re a frequent traveler, it’s also good to know how many total locations each gym has and whether or not your membership allows you to visit other clubs.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness has more than 2,000 locations in the US, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico, and Australia. Black Card members are able to use their memberships at any location in any country.
Blink Fitness
There are only about 90 Blink locations, and they’re primarily in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. There are a handful of locations in California, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
Members with Blue memberships can visit any club except for a few exclusive Manhattan locations. Members with Green memberships can visit any club, including the Manhattan ones.
The Winner
Planet Fitness wins the location category since it has clubs all over the US and in several other countries.
10. Hours of Operation
24-hour gyms are becoming more common, but there are still many gyms that aren’t accessible overnight. Even if the gym you want to join isn’t open 24 hours, chances are that it will be open early in the morning until late at night. Therefore, you should still be able to find a gym that works with your schedule.
Planet Fitness
Many Planet Fitness clubs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But some are only open 24 hours during the week and 7 AM to 7 PM on the weekends.
Blink Fitness
Each Blink club has slightly different hours, but most are open from 5 AM to 11 PM.
The Winner
Since a lot of Planet Fitness locations are open 24 hours, it’s a better choice if you need a gym where you can work out any time you want.
Who Is Planet Fitness For?
Planet Fitness is good for:
- People who are new to fitness
- People who aren’t interested in lifting heavy
- People who want a gym with amenities such as smoothie bars and tanning booths
- People with limited budgets
Who Is Blink Fitness For?
Blink Fitness is good for:
- Casual powerlifters
- Bodybuilders
- People who aren’t interested in amenities
- People who aren’t interested in taking group classes
- People who have time to work out during normal hours
Other Gym Comparisons With Planet Fitness and Blink Fitness
- Snap Fitness vs Planet Fitness
- Crunch vs Planet Fitness
- Life Time Fitness vs Planet Fitness
- Fit4Less vs Planet Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs Onelife Fitness
- YMCA vs Planet Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs Youfit
- Anytime Fitness vs Planet Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs World Gym
- Life Time vs Planet Fitness
- Workout Anytime vs Planet Fitness
- Gold’s Gym vs Planet Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs LA Fitness
- Planet Fitness vs 24 Hour Fitness
About The Author
Amandais a writer and editor in the fitness and nutrition industries. Growing up in a family that loved sports, she learned the importance of staying active from a young age. She started CrossFit in 2015, which led to her interest in powerlifting and weightlifting. She's passionate about helping women overcome their fear of lifting weights and teaching them how to fuel their bodies properly. When she's not training in her garage gym or working, you can find her drinking coffee, walking her dog, or indulging in one too many pieces of chocolate.
